Hauling a 500 plus lb camper/cap with a manual, 4 cylinder..long term.. Bad idea?

thinking about boondocking in a cab over camper that is on a 02 tacoma with a v6...hauls it no problem. I have an 01 tacoma with a 2.7 manual, 4 cylinder..will this kill my transmission if i do it long term? ANY INPUT WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED!

 

On long trips do not leave the transmission in 5th gear for extended periods of time; it will overheat the 5th gear and you will be re-building the transmission. Pull over frequently to let the tranny cool down.

Replace the tranny and rear diff oil with synthetic gear lube.

Now go beat the shit out of it.

 

it will be fine, just don't try to go fast and add a tranny oil cooler and it will do the job well. as mentioned don't let the engine lug in 5th gear

 

good to know. thanks for the advice. will do. any suspension issues i should worry about? Airbags necessary?

 

that will make it ride way better, as you know we have weak leaf springs anyway so let the bags carry the weight

 

My father had a '99 regular cab manual with the 4 cylinder. Him and I used it to haul a trailer for work all the time and I can tell you that it had much more than 500lbs in it. Like others said, don't lug it in 5th and you'll be fine. The truck was bought with 60k and had 205k on it when he got the rust out deal for it. I would guess that at least 100k of that was hauling that trailer. Never had any issues with the transmission.

 

No oil coolers for manual transmissions. As long as you're not lugging the engine you'll be fine. Lugging won't hurt the transmission but will burn more gas than needed. As long as the truck seems happy in whatever gear you're in, it will be fine. Just no OD towing with autos.

 

As you load up the back with weight, your braking pressure gets adjusted more towards the rear. Keep an eye on that stuff. Nice to know it's going to function if you have to stab the pedal hard. A bit of a learning curve, truck to truck, with a truck bed camper or heavier than normal loads. Top heavy intimidation sets in,,all that fun stuff. Run it easy till you get the feel of the thing.

If it's going to be a permanent thing, you might think about new springs and stuff. If you get it loaded in and up with all your stuff, if it's compressing the springs to the point of riding on the spring bumpers, or really close to being maxed out,,take a step back and make sure it's safe.

As these guys pointed out, good gear oil is your friend. Zero grade to the road if you put it in 5th, and after you get to that rpm band it likes. Let It hum past the usual shift point just a tad, before selecting 5th.

 

So that's what that lever on top of the differential is for...

 

No. Special order TRD fly swatter.

 

Can you elaborate?